Image via Meg Oliphant / Getty ImagesThe 2021 NBA All-Star Game will be happening, although it wasn’t really expected to prior to the season opener due to COVID-19 restrictions. Either way, All-Star voting was to proceed to designate teams for each conference. All-Star appearances are definitely a measuring stick for many different players’ legacies so that “show” must go on no matter what. The All-Star starters have officially been announced, and wouldn’t you have guessed it…LeBron James has been named a starter in the Western Conference for the third-straight year.
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The All-Star selection is the 17th of LeBron James’ storied career. It keeps him at third-most selections in NBA history. If he becomes an All-Star in the 2021-22 season, he will tie Kobe Bryant with 18. Next up after that is another Lakers great — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — who has 19. LeBron ending his career with the most All-Star selections (and then some) is very realistic.
As always, LeBron has much more aspirations during this season than just becoming an All-Star. The Lakers will be looking to repeat as champions, this time in the summer as opposed to their October 2020 NBA Finals victory. Again, history seems to keep repeating with this damn “LeBron” guy, as he is also looking for his fifth MVP trophy this season. He finished second in MVP voting last year, losing out to Giannis Antetokounmpo (who also won Defensive Player of the Year over Anthony Davis). He would have had a decent shot at it last year if the season hadn’t been shortened due to the COVID-19 suspension in March, but he may have a better shot at it this year (at least in terms of being near the front of the pack this early in the season). He’ll still have to outplay the likes of Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic through the end of the season to do it, but the opportunity is there.
Long live The King.
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